Multiple speakers urge Rules Committee to reject Elizabeth Anderson library appointment

During the public comment portion of the May 5 Rules Committee meeting several residents urged the council to oppose the pending appointment of Elizabeth Anderson to the Jacksonville Public Library Board of Trustees.

Speakers who addressed the committee said Anderson’s record on the Duval County School Board and other public statements make her unfit to serve on a board that oversees library policy. Blake Harper said Anderson had called a woman “a token” and had not apologized for the remark. “A token is still a token, and that is the worst sort of excuse,” Harper said.

Anne Kirby told the committee she had researched Anderson’s decisions and urged members not to confirm her. Melody Balduk (introduced in public comment as a private citizen and parent) said she respected Anderson’s intelligence but questioned her judgment on protecting children and on respecting parental authority. Balduk cited Anderson’s actions on the Duval County School Board and said she had “a pattern of dismissing and disparaging people who disagree with her.”

John Scott spoke in favor of a different agenda item but thanked council members for taking up other matters. No confirmation vote for Elizabeth Anderson was recorded in the Rules Committee during the May 5 meeting; the comments were part of the public comment period that preceded committee business.

Ending: Members acknowledged the public comment record. The committee did not take a recorded vote on Anderson’s appointment during the May 5 Rules Committee session; any formal action on appointments would appear on the committee or full council agenda if scheduled by the mayor or by council referral.